Injustice: 20 Most Brutal Deaths In The Comics

Injustice: Gods Among Ustells the story of a dimension where Superman and the Justice League have taken over the planet and rule it with an iron fist. They claim that this is the only way to bring peace on Earth, but they have essentially terrified humanity into submission. Batman is the head of the Insurgency, and is fighting to bring the regime down.

The powerful tale is told in two video games by developer NetherRealm Studios, known for Mortal Kombat. There is also a prequel comic series detailing the five years leading up to the events of the first game. As tragic as the games are, the prequel series is jam-packed with even more heartbreaking moments.

There are several important characters– including villains, heroes, and anti-heroes– missing from the dimension. It is explained in the games that they were all killed in the struggle between the regime and the Insurgency. The comics provide an important backstory and show the various deaths in detail. Some are accidents or crimes of passion, while others are gruesome and deliberate. The deaths become more and more tragic and violent as time goes on.

These are the 20 Most Brutal Deaths in the Injustice Comics.

20. James Gordon

Unsurprisingly, the commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department sides with Batman. James Gordon has always been an advocate of justice, and he has never been afraid to operate outside of the law to achieve this.

Superman lures Gordon onto the rooftop with the Bat Signal and demands to know where Batman– now considered a fugitive– is hiding. Gordon is unfazed by the Man of Steel and replies he does not consider the vigilante a fugitive of any legitimate justice system.

Before leaving, Superman informs the commissioner that he can see a rapidly spreading cancer in his body. Gordon realizes this means that he will not survive to see most of the war, nor will he be able to protect his city or his daughter from Superman. He reveals that he always knew the true identities of Batman and Batgirl, and brings a force of loyal GCPD officers to the Insurgency.

After heroically saving his daughter from Cyborg, he quietly passes away on the Watchtower in a heartbreaking scene.

19. Jimmy Olsen

Superman’s friend Jimmy Olsen meets a tragic end at the hands of a Gotham villain. He and Lois Lane receive a tip that a senator was getting an illegal payoff at the Metropolis docks. The two wait it out, hoping to catch the politician in the act, but the senator never shows.

Jimmy gets a very bad feeling about the whole thing and begins to suspect that they got a bad tip. Lois is adamant that they wait. Jimmy’s instinct turns out to be right– a mysterious woman in a trench coat appears before them. Right when he notes that this is not the senator, Jimmy is shot dead.

The woman is really the Joker in disguise. The clown kidnaps Lois and leaves Jimmy’s body at the docks for Superman to discover the next day.

18. Kalibak

Kalibak is a New God of Apokolips and the son of the villain Darkseid, the god of evil. He frequently clashes with Superman in hopes of impressing his father– who favors his younger brother over him– to no avail.

When he hears about Superman’s worldwide ceasefire, he asks his father if he can go and test Earth’s new order. Darkseid gives him permission to kill Superman and take the planet. Kalibak has been in plenty of fights with the Man of Steel and, at first, mocks the Kryptonian for his newfound pacifism.

However, he quickly realizes how cruel the man has become and that he is now capable of murder. Kalibak, horrified, surrenders and admits defeat. Superman refuses to acknowledge his surrender, saying that he must be punished for the lives he took, and crushes his skull.

17. Huntress

Unlike Batman, Helena Bertinelli is not afraid to use extreme force or kill, when necessary. She is brought to the Batcave to join the Insurgency. Batman condemns Superman for killing Kalibak and his entire army, but she is not fully onboard.

She argues that it was a justified act of war and that thousands of lives were saved. She also calls Bruce out for expecting everyone to trust him without returning the favor. Nevertheless, she sticks with him.

She reappears as part of Oracle’s Birds of Prey and teams up with Batwoman to take Superman down. The duo manage to knock him out, but are then confronted by an angry Wonder Woman. When Helena accuses Superman’s regime of being tyrannical, Diana catches her neck with the lasso of truth and pulls. She is instantly and unceremoniously killed.

16. Hawkman

Hawkgirl is an active member of Superman’s regime, but her husband Hawkman is nowhere to be found on Earth. He returns from a mission in deep space and is shocked by what has happened.

He goes to his wife and says that must return to their home planet Thanagar, but she has other plans. She beats him in a duel and tells him never to return to Earth again. He defies her and joins the Insurgency.

One of Batman’s plans is to get a ring of Kryptonite from the villain Mongul in deep space. Hawkman manages to infuse his mace with Kryptonite and battles Superman, enraged that Superman has taken his wife away from him. The Man of Steel gets the upper hand, however, and takes the mace out of commission. He beats Hawkman to death in hand-to-hand combat.

15. Bizarro

Bizarro is a flawed clone of Superman. All he wants to do is help and emulate the hero, but often he cannot fully comprehend what is going on and gets overwhelmed. He has no idea what he is or how to act human.

After he accidentally kills his friend– the Flash rogue Trickster– Bizarro becomes completely unhinged and causes mayhem. He rejects anyone attempting to fix him. In almost all versions, Bizzaro is a creation of Lex Luthor. This is also true in the Injustice timeline. However, the Luthor of this world was never a criminal or adversary of Superman; the two are actually friends.

Though Luthor appears to be a part of the Regime, he is secretly working as a mole for the Insurgency. Luthor needs to cover his involvement in creating Bizarro, or else risks blowing his cover. He has a mind-controlled Doomsday kill the clone.

14. Kid Flash and Beast Boy

In the first game, Cyborg mentions to Deathstroke that most of the Teen Titans died when Joker destroyed Metropolis. Other than that, they are hardly mentioned at all. We learn why in the Fall of the Titans story arc.

The members Superboy, Kid Flash, and Beast Boy are racing to Metropolis to fetch the team pizza. Kid Flash is in the lead and is looking back at them when suddenly, he is vaporized. There is nothing left of his body.

Superboy sees this and tries to shield Beast Boy from the same fate. He is unable to protect his friend from the blast, and holds him as he dies. The suddenness of their deaths is jarring; it begins with them arguing about Nightwing’s recent decision to leave the team and hand over leadership to Tim Drake. They’re racing to see who can get to the city first and then in a flash, they’re gone forever.

13. Captain Atom

Most of the members of Batman’s team are vigilantes and ordinary humans– there aren’t many powerhouses on their side. Other than Martian Manhunter and Doctor Fate, the only hero on their side with powers that can match the Man of Steel’s is Captain Atom.

Captain Atom is able to fight the Kryptonian himself, and is close to finishing him off when Wonder Woman comes out of nowhere and ruins Atom’s plan. She breaches his power suit with her sword. He reminds her that he has the power of over 10 atomic bombs inside him and that he will now explode.

In a final attempt to take Superman down, he grabs him and flies into outer space with the hopes that the blast will kill both of them. Alas, only Captain Atom is killed.

12. Renee Montoya

Renee Montoya is one of the good cops in the GCPD who sticks by Commissioner Gordon during Superman’s takeover. She starts off strong, but by the fourth year, after seeing so many of her friends die, she becomes horribly depressed and unstable.

She turns to drinking to numb the pain until, one day, she decides to overdose on the super-pills and confront Superman’s team. She screams at them, telling them that she’s going to kill them. They recognize that she is in a dangerous state of mind and beg her to stop.

Superman informs her that her heart is under too much stress and that she needs to stand down. She doesn’t listen and keeps fighting until she has a heart attack, dying instantly with the Kryponite leaking from her nostrils.

Her death is a suicide, but Bruce declares that Superman is still at fault.

11. John Stewart

John hasn’t been on Earth for a year, so he is completely out of the loop. He is abruptly called back to Oa by the Guardians, and is surprised to see nearly the entire Green Lantern Corps has been recalled, including Hal Jordon.

Hal fills John in on everything that has happened since he was last on Earth, claiming that Superman is making a better world. John trusts his teammate and Superman. When the Guardians attempt to hold Hal on Oa, John helps him escape and they both fly back to Earth.

John is stunned to see what appears to be a reformed Sinestro working alongside the League, but after a few months begins to believe the villain really has changed. Of course, Sinestro is still the same villain that he’s always been.

When John attempts to stop the League from fighting the Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro stabs him in the back.

10. Black Canary

Black Canary is recruited to the Insurgency by Catwoman. She helps defend the Earth from Kalibak’s attack, but does not openly defy Superman’s regime at first. This all changes once her husband is killed by the Krptonian.

She refuses to speak to anyone who is still on Superman’s side, and, when he attempts to talk to her, she tells him”I thought you were human. But you’re not.” Superman gets very close to killing her, but realizes that she is pregnant.

She forms a plan with Batman and the Green Lantern Corps to stop Superman from ever hurting anyone ever again. Batman gives her a gun with a Kryptonite bullet to take Superman down.

She succeeds, and they are very close to ending the war, but Batman had requested for her to only wound Superman, rather than kill him. Sadly, the plan fails because of this, and she is shot with his heat vision. However, she gets a rare happy ending when Doctor Fate rescues her and her son, and sends them both to a different dimension.

9. Martian Manhunter

Martian Manhunter is noticeably absent in the beginning of the series, when various Justice Leaguers are choosing sides. We then learn that Batman has requested that he stay hidden and observe quietly, until they are able to figure out who they can trust.

J’onn temporarily infiltrates the League and poses as Hawkgirl. Damian Wayne realizes this and alerts the League. The Martian allows Batman to escape and confronts Superman once they are alone. When the Man of Steel asks why he is on Batman’s side, J’onn replies “because of what you could become.”

He then telepathically shares events from his past on Mars, when the White Martians enslaved and ruled over the Green Martians. He shows Superman when his daughter was taken away from him and then cuts to Lois’ death to try and make Superman remember his humanity.

J’onn is cut off by Wonder Woman and then burned to death by Superman’s heat vision.

8. Kyle Rayner

Poor Kyle Rayner has been off world for an entire year on Green Lantern business. He missed all of the events that took place during year one of the comics. This means that he has no idea that Metropolis has been destroyed, that Superman has taken over the planet, or that many of his friends from the Justice League are dead.

He is flying back to Earth with a smile on his face, anxious to get home. He thinks about a girl whose number he got last time he was home, and ponders maybe giving her a call. His home planet is in sight when his ring alerts him to danger.

Before he can even process the information, he is ambushed by the Sinestro Corps. The Yellow Lantern informs Kyle that a war is coming and that he will not live to see it. Sinestro rips off Kyle’s finger and destroys his ring. The Yellow Lanterns rip Kyle apart and leave his remains floating in space.

7. Alfred Pennyworth

Bruce offers Alfred the chance to escape and save himself, but Alfred refuses and stays by his side throughout. In one of the most powerful moments in the comics, Alfred takes one of the super-pills and saves Batman from Superman’s wrath.

He punches the Man of Steel and tells him that he isn’t allowed to hurt his family anymore. “I am so disappointed in you,” he states before escaping with Bruce. He helps Batman recover from the attack, making sure that he eats well and takes care of himself.

The butler manages to survive until year five. Superman orders him to give up Batman’s location, but he refuses. Superman then sends the deranged serial killer Victor Zsasz to the manor to try and get information out of Alfred. Though he puts up a good fight, Alfred is slain by the villain and bleeds to death on the floor of the Batcave.

6. Guy Gardner

All of the Lanterns besides Hal Jordon have been left out of the loop. Guy is called back to Oa and informed that Superman is taking over the Earth. At first he laughs, believing that Superman is not capable of such a thing. Then he learns about Kyle Rayner’s disappearance and travels back home to see for himself.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw– the Justice League working alongside the Sinestro Corps. Horrified, he goes back to Oa and brings the Green Lantern Corps to Earth. Though Guy is known for being hotheaded, he initially tries to solve the issue without violence.

He begs Hal to remember his duty as a Lantern. Sinestro then kills John Stewart and blames it on Guy. An enraged Hal, now wearing a yellow power ring, rips Guy’s arm off. Without his power ring, Guy plummets to Earth.

5. The Joker

The Joker is the one who originally started this whole mess.

For some reason, he wakes up one day and decides it would be fun to ruin Superman’s life. He kills Jimmy Olsen, kidnaps Lois Lane, and tricks Superman into killing her and their unborn child. The clown also sets up a nuclear bomb to go off once Lois’ heart stopped beating.

The entire city of Metropolis is destroyed, making this the second time the Kryptonian has lost his home. While Batman is interrogating the Joker and trying to figure out where he got the bomb, an enraged Superman bursts in.

The villain cannot resist taunting the Man of Steel and bragging about what crime he can commit to top this one. Superman is finally pushed to his breaking point and (intentionally) kills for the first time, marking the beginning of his downward spiral into madness.

He punches straight through the Joker’s chest as Batman watches in disbelief and the Joker shrieks with laughter.

4. Harvey Bullock and Jason Blood

GCPD Detective Harvey Bullock joins Montoya and Commissioner Gordon in a mission to take back their city. He gets thrown further into the mix of superpowers and magic when John Constantine and Jason Blood join the fight. Harvey starts feeling uncomfortable, as he has no idea how he’s supposed to fit in.

As Harvey is about to leave a meeting at Jason Blood’s house, Blood realizes that the magical seal he created to protect them is broken, and tells Harvey to close the door. The detective is unable to. Blood begins to recite the incantation to transform into Etrigan the Demon, when a strong light enters the room.

The light instantly vaporizes their skin, leaving them as nothing but skeletons and puddles of blood. It is revealed that Mister Mxyzptlk has taken over the powers of the Spectre and plans to kill anyone opposing Superman.

3. Lois Lane

Lois had just discovered that she and Clark were expecting a child when the Joker kidnaps her and takes her to an underground submarine. Superman discovers Jimmy’s body with a bloody Joker card and the League tracks down Lois.

Superman then hauls the sub above ground and sees Joker and Harley Quinn operating on his wife. He charges towards them when the Joker gasses him with a fear toxin laced with Kryptonite.

Suddenly, Doomsday appears and Superman attacks the monster to keep his wife safe. He tackles the beast into the sky and brings him into outer space. Batman tells Superman to stop, informing him that he is hallucinating. The illusion lifts and Superman realizes that Doomsday was never there… he had actually just killed Lois and their unborn child.

2. Green Arrow

Though Batman is immediately horrified when Superman kills the Joker, most of the world celebrates the villain’s death and praise Superman for finally ridding the world of his evil. Batman is more concerned about the line his friend has crossed; justifying one kill could lead to another. The Dark Knight is right to be worried.

One of the first Justice Leaguers killed by Superman is Green Arrow. The Insurgency breaks into the Fortress of Solitude to steal the prototype of the super-pills. They are surprised to see Ma and Pa Kent there, and are soon joined by an enraged Superman. Green Arrow fires at the Man of Steel, but the arrow is deflected and accidentally hits Pa in the shoulder.

The perceived attack on his father sends Superman into a blind rage and he beats his former friend to death, as his parents watch in horror. The Kents are joined by Jor-el. They apologize to him for failing to raise his son right, and he apologizes for unleashing this destruction on their world.

1. Nightwing

Nightwing’s demise is particularly tragic because, compared to the others’, it looks ridiculous. Batman’s son Damian Wayne has taken over the mantle of Robin. Damian ends up siding with Superman over his father, however, which puts a strain on the Bat Family’s relationships.

Superman’s regime heads to Arkham Asylum to kill all of the inmates. Damian agrees, and wants to burn the place to the ground while Nightwing and Batman run to protect the inmates. Chaos ensues, as they are forced to fight the villains and the Justice League.

Seeing Damian beat the Riddler, Nightwing tells him to stop. Damian gets angry and throws a kali stick at Nightwing, which strikes his head. Dazed, he drops his weapons and stumbles backwards into some rocks.

He trips, hits his neck on the rocks, and dies. Of all the things Nightwing has survived, a pile of rocks takes him down. Nevertheless, Nightwing was such an important part of everyone’s lives that his death affects all heroes and even some of the villains. Damian tries to explain that it was an accident, but Batman disowns him.